Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'Letters to Varignon', 'Why there isn't a ready-made world' and 'Mathematical Truth'

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9 ideas

6. Mathematics / A. Nature of Mathematics / 1. Mathematics

9935	Mathematical truth is always compromising between ordinary language and sensible epistemology [Benacerraf]

6. Mathematics / C. Sources of Mathematics / 1. Mathematical Platonism / b. Against mathematical platonism

17927

Realists have semantics without epistemology, anti-realists epistemology but bad semantics [Benacerraf, by Colyvan]

9936	The platonist view of mathematics doesn't fit our epistemology very well [Benacerraf]

7. Existence / D. Theories of Reality / 2. Realism

17644

Metaphysical realism is committed to there being one ultimate true theory [Putnam]

7. Existence / D. Theories of Reality / 4. Anti-realism

17648

It is an illusion to think there could be one good scientific theory of reality [Putnam]

9. Objects / B. Unity of Objects / 3. Unity Problems / c. Statue and clay

17643

Shape is essential relative to 'statue', but not essential relative to 'clay' [Putnam]

12. Knowledge Sources / B. Perception / 4. Sense Data / b. Nature of sense-data

17642

The old view that sense data are independent of mind is quite dotty [Putnam]

26. Natural Theory / C. Causation / 8. Particular Causation / d. Selecting the cause

17645

An alien might think oxygen was the main cause of a forest fire [Putnam]

27. Natural Reality / G. Biology / 3. Evolution

19414

Men are related to animals, which are related to plants, then to fossils, and then to the apparently inert [Leibniz]